“I decided to translate ‘Coret-coret di Toilet’ not only because it is one of Eka’s best-known short stories, but because it is very blackly funny. It catches perfectly the atmosphere of student life in Indonesia at the start of the new century, as the brief promise of Reformasi was being extinguished by gangsterism, cynicism, greed, corruption, stupidity, and mediocrity. It also mirrors beautifully the bizarre lingo shared by ex-radicals, sexual opportunists, young inheritors of the debased culture of the New-Order era, and anarchists avant la lettre. Finally, it shows Eka’s gift for startling imagery, sharp and unexpected changes of tone, and his ‘extra-dry’ sympathy for the fellow-members of his late-Suharto generation.”– Benedict R. O’G. Anderson,Indonesia

“One of the finest writers to emerge since Pramoedya Ananta Toer. I read a short story translated informally from Bahasa. Very striking prose.”– Tariq Ali,Finnegan’s List